Notice of Retraction and Replacement. Snook et al. Change in percentages of adults with overweight or obesity trying to lose weight, 1988-2014. JAMA. 2017;317(9):971-973

Work published in Journal of the American Medical Association

Authors’ Response: Health Benefits/Hazards Associated with Companion Animal-Exposure Might be Endpoint- and Animal-Specific

This response was in regards to comments made in Pet Ownership and the Risk of Dying (Letter to the Editor) by Gillum, R. F. in High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Prevention

Pet Ownership and the Risk of Dying from Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults Without Major Chronic Medical Conditions

Introduction: In a recent statement, the American Heart Association stated “There are scant data on pet ownership and survival in people without established cardiovascular disease (CVD)”. This study sought to fill this gap. Methods: We analyzed nationally representative data of 3964 adults aged ≥50 who were free from major physical illnesses. Pet ownership was assessed at baseline between 1988 and 1994. Vital status was followed through December 31st 2006. Results: With dogs being most popular pets owned by 22.0 (standard error 0.34) % of the participants, 34.6 % of the study population owned a pet. Pet ownership was associated with low rates of CVD deaths [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.69 (95 % CI 0.45–1.07)] and stroke [0.54 (0.28–1.01)] at borderline significant levels among women. These associations were adjusted for physical activity and largely attributed to having a cat rather than a dog. Among cat owners, the HR of all CVD deaths was 0.62 (0.36–1.05) and the HR of dying from stroke was 0.22 (0.07–0.68) compared with non-cat owners. The corresponding HRs among dog owners were 0.82 (0.51–1.34) and 0.76 (0.34–1.71) respectively. No similar associations were observed among men. The hazard of dying from hypertension was not associated with pet ownership for both men and women. Conclusions: Owning a cat rather than a dog was significantly associated with a reduced hazard of dying from CVD events, in particular, stroke. The protection pets confer may not be from physical activities, but possibly due to personality of the pet owners or stress-relieving effects of animal companionship

Association Between Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Sleep Quantity in Pregnant Women

Introduction: To determine the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with overall sleep duration among pregnant women. Methods: Data from the 2011 and 2012 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used. All women (n = 2951) of childbearing age (18–44 years) who were pregnant and responded to all fruit and vegetable consumption and sleep duration questions were included. Covariates included age, race, education level, exercise, and marital status. Data were analyzed using linear and ordinal logistic regression. Results: Total daily fruit and vegetable consumption was not associated with sleep duration among pregnant women, controlling for confounders [β = −0.03, (−0.07, 0.00)]. Orange and green vegetable consumption were both inversely associated with sleep duration [β = −0.19, (−0.38, −0.01) and β = −0.20, (−0.33, −0.08) respectively]. Ordinal logistic regression found that the odds of meeting or exceeding sleep time recommendations increased slightly with each unit increase in total fruit and vegetable consumption [OR = 1.05 (1.003, 1.092)] and for every unit increase in fruit consumption [OR = 1.12 (1.038, 1.208)]. Women who exercised within the past 30 days reported approximately 20 min of additional sleep compared to those who did not [β = 0.32 (0.16, 0.49)]. Age, employment status, and marital status were also independently associated with sleep duration. Discussion: Sleep duration in pregnant women was associated with exercise and other demographic factors, but only mildly associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. Future research should investigate the effects of additional factors including sleep quality, gestational age, family status and other medications as potential confounders

Pet ownership and the risk of dying from lung cancer, findings from an 18 year follow-up of a US national cohort

Purpose In contrast to the popularity of pets, research on the health effects of living with pets, particularly, on the risk of cancer, is minimal and inconclusive. We longitudinally examined relationships between pet ownership and the risk of dying from lung cancer. Methods We analyzed nationally representative data of 13,725 adults aged ≥ 19 who answered the question about pet ownership in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994, as the baseline survey. Vital status was followed through December 31st, 2010. Results About 43% of the study population owned pets, with 20.4% having cats and 4.6% having birds. A total of 213 lung cancer deaths were recorded by the end of 183,094 unweighted person-years of follow-up with a lung-cancer specific death rate of 1.00 per 1000 person-years. After adjustment for cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, body mass index, history of atopic conditions, and serum cotinine, owning a pet (any) was associated with a doubled mortality rate among women for lung cancer [hazard ratio (HR)= 2.31 (1.41–3.79)] over non-owners. This association was largely attributed to having a cat or a bird. The HR was 2.85 (1.62–5.01) for cats, and 2.67 (0.68−10.5) for birds. The HR for dogs was 1.01 (0.57–1.77). No significant patterns of association were observed among men either for any pets or for a subtype of pet. Conclusions Living with a pet, especially, a cat or a bird, was significantly associated with elevated hazard of dying from lung cancer among women. The detrimental effect that pets conferred was not explained by confounding from cigarette smoking or atopic conditions

Change in Percentages of Adults With Overweight or Obesity Trying to Lose Weight, 1988-2014

Socially acceptable body weight is increasing. If more individuals who are overweight or obese are satisfied with their weight, fewer might be motivated to lose unhealthy weight. This study assessed the trend in the percentage of adults who were overweight or obese and trying to lose weight during 3 periods from 1988 through 2014

Association between pet ownership and the risk of dying from colorectal cancer: an 18-year follow-up of a national cohort

Background Despite the popularity of pets, research on the relationship between pet ownership and the risk of cancer remains minimal and inconclusive. Aim To longitudinally examine the association between pet ownership and the risk of dying from colorectal cancer. Methods We analyzed the data of a nationally representative cohort of 13,929 adults aged ≥ 19 years who answered the question about pet ownership in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1988–1994. The vital status was followed through 31 December 2010. Results Approximately, 43% of the participants had pets, 26% with dogs, 20% with cats and 5% with birds. By the end of an 18-year follow-up (mean = 15 years), 70 colorectal cancer deaths were recorded. After adjustment for socio-demographic factors, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, body mass index, physical activity, history of atopic conditions and serum cotinine measured at the baseline survey, the hazard ratio (HR) of dying from colorectal cancer associated with having any pets was 2.83 (95% CI = 1.51–5.30) compared with non-pet owners. This association was largely attributed to owning a cat. The HR of dying from colorectal cancer for owning a cat was 2.67 (1.22–5.86). The HR for owning a dog was 0.89 (0.37–2.12). Conclusions Having a cat was significantly associated with an elevated risk of dying from colorectal cancer among the general population. The observed detrimental effects the cats conferred may not be explained by confounding effects from socio-demographics, cigarette smoking, sedentary life or atopic conditions

Association Between Pet Ownership and the Risk of Dying From Colorectal Cancer: An 18-year Follow-up of a National Cohort

Background Despite the popularity of pets, research on the relationship between pet ownership and the risk of cancer remains minimal and inconclusive. Aim To longitudinally examine the association between pet ownership and the risk of dying from colorectal cancer. Methods We analyzed the data of a nationally representative cohort of 13,929 adults aged ≥ 19 years who answered the question about pet ownership in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1988–1994. The vital status was followed through 31 December 2010. Results Approximately, 43% of the participants had pets, 26% with dogs, 20% with cats and 5% with birds. By the end of an 18-year follow-up (mean = 15 years), 70 colorectal cancer deaths were recorded. After adjustment for socio-demographic factors, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, body mass index, physical activity, history of atopic conditions and serum cotinine measured at the baseline survey, the hazard ratio (HR) of dying from colorectal cancer associated with having any pets was 2.83 (95% CI = 1.51–5.30) compared with non-pet owners. This association was largely attributed to owning a cat. The HR of dying from colorectal cancer for owning a cat was 2.67 (1.22–5.86). The HR for owning a dog was 0.89 (0.37–2.12). Conclusions Having a cat was significantly associated with an elevated risk of dying from colorectal cancer among the general population. The observed detrimental effects the cats conferred may not be explained by confounding effects from socio-demographics, cigarette smoking, sedentary life or atopic conditions